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Crazy Asian guy dancing in public to break racial stereotypes
Are Asians shy? Is this a stereotype that needs to be broken? Can "Crazy Asian Guy Dancing in Public" (aka Sexy Dragon), who most certainly isn't timid, help break stereotypes by shakin' it to Soljah Boy all over Toronto?
In the below video (already at close to 10,000 views), Sexy Dragon strips down to his socks and undies and busts a move in various, very public places (such as Fairview Mall, Eaton Centre, TTC, Pacific Mall, ROM, U of T, and Younge & Dundas) -- much to the blushing reactions/glares/cheers/jeers of passersby and to the chagrin of security officers who sometimes feel compelled to rain on the parade.
"Some people simply have a blanket view of some cultures," explains Sexy Dragon, the brave dancer in the video. He came to Canada from China 12 years ago, and aims to challenge the way people think.
When asked about the reactions he's received, Sexy Dragon explains that "people in this city walk around without smiling." Wanting to change that, he aims to "entertain people with physical comedy in everyday life situations."
And how do security staff respond when he gallivants around and breaks into shirtless and pantless dance? "We're doing this on private property in some locations. Some don't care, and other do," he tells me. At Pacific Mall, for example (known for its tight security), he and his crew have been caught, identified, and banned for five years.
In the next video in the series, he plans to tackle another cross-cultural stereotype by dressing up as a banana ("yellow on the outside and white on the inside") and hitting the streets. Stay tuned for it to appear on the Sexy Dragon website.
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And I'm surprised his clothes didn't get swiped in any of the places.
Is his act of dancing funny?..Sure. Still the purpose is clouded by his choice in which to convey his perspective. It really just seems he is uneducated to an extent in which his message could be conveyed in a better way. Dancing at fairview mall, on the subway and in downtown toronto; all these places share something in common, they all share diversity of people and structure. Being happy is a choice and at best he is a comedian. But it hasn't changed people's views on asians because that could have been any person of any culture. U just gave people walking by a quick laugh, you havent changed their perspective sorry.
"When asked about the reactions he's received, Yang explains that "people in this city walk around without smiling." Wanting to change that, he aims to "entertain people with physical comedy in everyday life situations.""
So is this about changing stereotypes or just acting like a comical idiot in general? I don't get it.
He's not giving Zanta a run for his money.
Why does he have to strip down before he dances? To show off that hot bod? ;)
More like he's reinforcing the stereotype that we can't dance.
Sorry, but Zanta is stronger, funnier, and scares more children and tourists.
<br> I think Mr. Dragon is desperately willing to do anything for attention. That is all.
(And I am familiar with Asian culture. FWIW, I lived in Asia for 2 years, and traveled the region extensively.)
I am serious.. tons of bathhouses in hong kong,japan..go go boys bars in silom bangkok..the amount of porn made is japan is shocking..and the amount of circuit parties in asia..put us in shame here in Canada..
If he wants to break an Asian stereotype he should pretend to be a dumbass... :P
Add this to Canada's stereotypes: moose, beavers, geese, mounties, hockey players, and crazy Asians who strip in public and cannot dance...
i m also chinese. he is having fun, doing something crazy.
if you people honestly think that everyone would see asian negative because what he did then they really do have negative stereotype against us
but regardless of why he did it. it is still pretty funny & crazy
The only funny part is when he's at Yonge and Dundas and people are just ignoring him.
Apparantley it'll take more than dancing in your underwear to get the attention of Torontonians.
Grooving to outdated music, yes that may be a real stereotype, HOWEVER asians being shy is a horrible and unjustified one that only applies to MARGINALIZED races living abroad. The Asian race is wild and crazy and really does put us to shame on a shot for shot basis. Clearly the author of this post has never been to Asia, and probably never experienced life as a minority.
Get your head out of your ass you bigoting pollack.
and everyone needs to stop saying nǐ hǎo to me on the street i can speak English perfectly fine thank you
First I think his intentions are a bit off. He has blended his own 'fifteen-minutes of fame' into his message rather than going a more anonymous route. Had he sported a mask, say with some stereotypical Chinese comic character and done this is would have been far more effective.
Second, his demonstration has little connection to his message. Getting half naked and taking your clothes off and dancing in public places doesn't make you any less shy, especially if you are not connecting to your 'audience' around you. He seems to be very good at talking to strangers and posting his face, webpage and message all over the place. Which in fact reinforces the idea that Asian's are shy (def: being reserved or having or showing nervousness or timidity in the company of other people).
Third, he has let his ego get the best of him. This is evident in giving himself speaking power for all Asians. It would have been best had he spoke for himself, or at least for Chinese people who have immigrated to Canada but speaking for all Asians? Is he trying to say that he speaks for Japanese, Malay, Thai, Taiwanese and Korean people? Who does he think he is?
To anyone who wants to make an impact on people and make a change please take this gentleman's actions like the Bernstein Bear book: "this is what you should not do, let it be a lesson for you."
My guess? He is a socially awkward individual who has had a difficult time adapting to social life in Toronto and blames that on the stereotyping of Asian people being shy. And while stereotypes don't help matters, its not the fact that he was born in China that makes him awkward, its just the fact that he is aggressive, egotistical, impatient and selfish. In fact, he could actually benefit from being a little more reserved and shy, it might help him in social situations.
**(My apologies about the last rant in this paragraph but I study/have studied with him for some years. His 'quest' to show he's not a typical Chinese has been going on for years. It's driven by his ego and quite frankly I'll give him this: you are not a typical Asian or typical Chinese, in my experience most are far more adept in social situations than you are.)
your analysis of who he is also quite funny.
you have no idea who sexy dragon is and you don't have a clue about the plan behind everything
His dancing naked all over Toronto is irrelevant to his intended message. I thought it was better fitted as a viral video for tourist attractions in Toronto (in fact, it would be quite effective at that). Personally, when I saw this video, I don't see an an asian breaking out of the shy stereotype, I see a naked twenty year old comically dancing in all the cool places in Toronto.
If you're reading this dragon guy, I think you could make your message stronger by making your message a little more clear and direct.